Established in 2008 by SRCD and the Student and Early Career Council, up to ten non-renewable awards in the amount of $2,000 are given for dissertation research proposals that merit special recognition and display the strong potential to contribute to the field of child development. Submissions should be in the proposal stage (i.e., not completed), and money is to be used for research costs or professional development related to the proposed dissertation project.

The SECC members and the SRCD Early Career Awards Committee evaluate all submissions. Evaluation criteria include the following:

Quality and feasibility of research proposal (based on significance of the research question, theoretical rationale, methodological appropriateness, and innovation)

Qualifications of the applicant (based on materials in CV and recommendations)

Extent to which the award will contribute significantly to the applicant's professional development and productivity

Extent to which the proposed work contributes to the field of child development.

2019 SECC Dissertation Research Funding Awards
Call for Proposals

Procedures:
The Student and Early Career Committee (SECC) of the Society for Research in Child Development is pleased to announce the eleventh annual competition for student funding for dissertation research. Up to ten non-renewable awards in the amount of $2,000 (maximum) are given for research proposals that merit special recognition and display the strong potential to contribute to the field of child development. Submissions should be in the proposal stage (i.e. not completed), and money is to be used for research costs (e.g., participant incentives, standardized measures, research equipment) and/or methodological training (e.g., fees for a statistical workshop) needed to complete the dissertation. All expenses must be justified as needed for the completion of the dissertation.

Award recipients will be recognized at the SRCD Biennial Meeting.

Deadlines:
The deadline for the 2019 SECC Dissertation Funding Research Award application is May 1, 2019 by 5 PM EDT. Application materials may be submitted online through the Submission Site beginning on March 13, 2019. Award decisions will be made by August 30, 2019.

Eligibility:

Only SRCD student members are eligible to apply. Applicants must be SRCD members at the time of application and membership must be maintained throughout the award period
a. International members and members from underrepresented groups are strongly encouraged to apply.
b. Consistent with the SRCD initiative to improve multidisciplinary collaboration in the child development field, applications that reflect multidisciplinary research aims and/or are from non-traditional disciplines are encouraged to apply.

Applicants must be graduate students in a field related to child development, in good standing with their university, and have their dissertation proposals approved by their advisor. Students may apply for the award prior to dissertation committee approval, but funding will not be issued until the research project has been approved by the dissertation committee.

Funding is for a dissertation research project. Funding will not be issued until the research project has been approved by the university IRB.

Process:

The SECC members and the SRCD Early Career Awards Committee will evaluate all submissions. Evaluation criteria include:
a. Quality and feasibility of research proposal (based on significance of the research question(s), theoretical rationale, methodological appropriateness, and innovation);
b. Qualifications of the applicant (based on materials in CV and recommendations);
c. The extent to which the award will contribute significantly to the applicant's professional development and productivity, and
d. The extent to which the proposed work contributes to the field of child development.

Please submit application materials electronically on or before May 1, 2019 at 5 PM EDT by visiting the SUBMISSION SITE, which will open to accept application submissions starting in March 2019.

Please use APA formatting guidelines (6th edition; 2010) and be prepared to include each of the following when applying online in one PDF file:

Cover letter (1 page maximum, double-spaced): Letter describing your research experience and interests, as well as your career goals.

Abstract (1 page maximum, double-spaced)

Project summary (6 pages maximum, double-spaced): Summary of the research project, including background and rationale, an explanation of research design (methods, analyses, etc.), how the project fits your career goals and interests, and other important aspects of the study (references do not count towards page limit).

Budget & Budget Justification (1 page maximum, single-spaced): Please provide (1) a list of each budget item with (2) an accompanying explanation about how the budget expense (item per item) will be utilized to help with the completion of the dissertation. Be sure to justify all expenses (no minimum, maximum $2,000). Also, please provide (3) a list all other sources of funding for this project and (4) your dissertation advisor must sign this budget form.

Note regarding budget: The award must be used to support expenses that are directly needed for the completion of the dissertation (e.g., animal care, equipment, and participant incentives) or indirectly (e.g., training workshop, consultant fees). A portion of the budget may go towards mentoring and training if necessary to carry out the research proposal (e.g., consultant fees, travel to trainings/seminars to acquire specialized research skills, and workshop registrations for these trainings/seminars). It may not be used for personal expenses (i.e., personal travel) or for travel to conferences to disseminate research findings (i.e., cannot be used to cover costs associated with travel to SRCD Biennial Meeting or other conferences). All expenses must be justified as needed for the completion of the dissertation. Failure to comply with this requirement may disqualify your application from further consideration.

***Please be aware that SRCD does not pay for indirect costs associated with institutions.***

Curriculum Vitae including research experience, presentations, and scientific publications.

4. A letter of recommendation from your research advisor is also required. This letter should include a statement of support and approval, the feasibility of research study, attest to the student's primary and major contributions to the research, and explain why the research is worthy of the award. The advisor must comment on the student's academic standing as well as the student's current progress on the dissertation. Letters should be in PDF format and submitted by your advisor through the submission site by May 1, 2019 at 5 PM EDT.

5. Award recipients will be contacted by September 2019 and recognized at the next SRCD Biennial Meeting. All applicants will be notified of funding decisions.

6. Award recipients must acknowledge the SECC Dissertation Research Funding Award from SRCD in any resulting publications from the dissertation project.

7. All application materials must be submitted online through the SUBMISSION SITE. Incomplete applications and applications exceeding set page limits will not be reviewed. The deadline for submitting complete applications is May 1, 2019 at 5 PM EDT.